Advertising campaign for the Delta launch: “Not a spot … but a film”
For the launch of the model that will mark its return to the most important European car segment, Lancia chose to interpret the positioning of the Delta by combining the personality of Richard Gere and a story that is particularly close to his lifestyle and the values he upholds within one advertising spot.
This is not a product story but a political poem about peace. The advert does not promote technical values but human values. The day of brochure adverts is over and Lancia has been conversant in the new language for some time.
Anyone wants to know about all the new features of the new Delta, can obtain information from the Internet, from the sales outlets and from dealers because the TV time occupied by the advert will be used to say just one thing: the world can be Delta, in other words it can be different.
In just 30 seconds, Richard Gere drives from Hollywood to Tibet to leave the same mark that he left in the Walk of Fame, in other words, to leave the mark of his hands in the spotless snow of Tibet. He travels along the roads that leaves behind the bright lights of Los Angeles and carries him on an imaginary and spiritual journey, first to the Hollywood hills and then, at the end of his uphill quest, to Lhasa, capital of Tibet. Gere arrives with his Delta in a village where he is welcomed by a group of small Tibetan monks. Together they place their hands on the snow, leaving the prints close together, to confirm the communion of feelings heralded by a mutual exchange of smiles
As many people know, Richard Gere is particularly interested in the fate of the Tibetan people and supports their cause through a foundation set up in his name, the Gere Foundation, to which he has decided to donate his fee for taking part in the advertising campaign.
Gere’s commitment to peace and the defence of the “right to make a difference” was the underlying reason for our deliberate choice of the American actor as a testimonial for the launch of the Delta.
A car that is also “different” in its style, content and character. Different even in its very name, Delta, the mathematical symbol for difference.
Richard Gere and the Lancia Delta therefore share a common character that is encapsulated by the final claim: “The power to be different”.
“My ideal Delta character” commented Olivier Francois, Chief Executive Officer of Lancia, “has a thousand personalities. My ideal Delta character makes his whole life into a road. But he does not allow himself to be carried away by this road, he drives along it and reinvents it. A Delta character is glamour but also courage. A Delta character is style and character. Richard Gere is not merely a fine actor; not merely one of the most famous men in the world. He is a man with a great difference: the ability to combine talent, fame and style with great character. I’m talking about his commitment to peace.”
The advertising spot has all the qualities of a true film: It was shot in Los Angeles, on Hollywood Boulevard and in the Rocky Mountains where the Tibetan village was reconstructed.
The film was directed by Harald Zwart, director of Pink Panther 2, while the director of photography was Wally Pfister who was responsible for the lighting for Batman Begins.
But there is more: the soundtrack is just as important as the images. It was composed specially for these images by the Oscar prize winner Ennio Morricone. It is a work of great appeal and emotion, with all the features of the great composer’s most celebrated works.
To sum up, this cannot be called simply an advertising spots but is an authentic film with an all-star cast that will certainly appeal to the hearts of its audience.
The agency is Marcel Paris, a creative lab of the Publicis group led by Anne de Maupeou and Frederic Temin. The campaign will have international breadth. It will first be aired in Italy on 13 June on the main TV networks and then be rolled out to all European countries from September.
Turin, June 13th, 2008
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Just need to wait a month... 
